“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21
Does this verse remind you of a Stewardship Sunday at your church? Back in the day while living in Haiti, occasionally I was asked to give a message about tithing to the congregation where I worshipped at Caredeux. At that point in time, the collection plate there was typically filled with coins and a few envelopes. In 2001, the average income for a Haitian family was $400-$600 per year and ten percent of that would reflect Gourdes in the collection plate.
Living in the U.S., gainfully employed or retired, the collection plates are fuller with our tithes. So where is your heart today? It’s a simple question. Your heart is wherever you place your money, time and talents. For some of us, our heart is in our home and yard, because that’s where we put our time and money. Or maybe our heart is in our boat that is cooler than the neighbor’s boat. Or it could be in our second house; the cabin by the lake. Or for some of us it could be the sport you spend your time and money on.
Wherever you put your money is where your heart is going to go. Where you spend your time also reveals your priorities. You can say you love to be in shape, but do you exercise? No? Then you don’t really love being in shape.
You can say you love Jesus, but if you don’t spend any time with him, then you don’t love him as much as you think you do. Here’s how you know what’s really important to someone; look at their calendar, and look at their bank statement. The way you spend your time and money shows what’s really important to you. You can say, “This is really important to me.” But what you say in this case doesn’t really matter. If you don’t spend time on it and you don’t spend money on it, then your heart isn’t really there.
When you give to God, guess where your heart goes? It turns toward Him and the things that please Him. When you spend time with God in His Word, you become closer to Him as you know Him more. Giving God your time and money is an act of worship; it’s a way you align your heart with His. So, back to that question; “Where is your heart today?” Where do you want it to be? Prayerfully decide where you want your heart to be and start investing your time, talents and treasures there. It won’t be long and you will find your heart there too.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay